PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (MBRC1) The UTMB OAIC Metabolism and Biology Resource Core (MBRC1) promotes and supports basic science and translational research relevant to the OAIC theme which is Translate pathways of functional loss and gain into interventions to optimize functional recovery in diverse geriatric populations. The MBRC1 has been critical to the success of the UTMB OAIC, having supported many key discoveries on the mechanisms of muscle aging and sarcopenia. In the current cycle, it has supported 21 NIH grants, 11 other external grants, and 12 OAIC projects. The MBRC1 specific aims are: 1. Provide analytical support and add value to OAIC research. 2. Develop new methods to study the mechanisms of functional loss and recovery. 3. Train early-stage investigators on the analytical and methodological aspects of basic science and translational research on functional loss, gain and recovery in older adults. MBRC1 supports basic and translational research on sarcopenia, physical dysfunction and recovery requiring metabolic phenotyping, molecular biology techniques, tracer methodologies, animal models and cell cultures. It provides essential tools to determine the dynamic changes that occur at the whole-body, tissue and cellular levels in older individuals; quantify the metabolic effects of age, disease, inactivity and anabolic interventions; and determine the basic mechanisms that underlie these changes. MBRC1 also promotes integration of molecular, cellular and tracer methodologies within individual experiments in animals and humans to discover the mechanisms that underlie specific pathophysiological responses in older adults. It has also evolved to support the next step in translation ? large clinical trials ? by developing a biobank and services for sample processing and shipping. Over the next cycle, MBRC1 will expand the molecular metabolism resources and support reverse translation by further developing and utilizing inducible muscle specific knockout mouse models, integrating the use of traceromic methods, developing novel therapeutics for sarcopenia, and providing access to institutional metabolomic and transcriptomic resources to OAIC investigators. It will also continue to provide resources for early-stage investigators and OAIC pilot studies, assisting in the generation and utilization of preliminary data for competitive grant applications.